And Lands in the 1700s with “The Princess and the Pauper”

Related Story

Hang on for a minute...we're trying to find some more stories you might like.

Email This Story

Send email to this addressEnter Your NameAdd a comment hereVerification

For the second show during the evening, the FHN Drama Club will put on “The Princess and the Pauper.” A story less-widely known, “The Princess and the Pauper” brings a more realistic light to the stage, revealing two sides of life: between the wealthy and the common folk. Regardless, the show is still from the storybooks, meaning the show is meant for anyone.

“It’s really fun,” Kim Sulzner, Director of Theater Arts, said. “It’s really cute. It is a children’s show, but it’s got elements that are enjoyable even for adults, so it’s not just for little kids.”

Set in 1700s, Victorian England, the story of “The Princess and the Pauper” follows the stories of two young women, both from very different backgrounds, one a flower peddler and one a princess. Curiosity brings the girls together, but also pushes them into new lives. As they look nearly identical, the girls switch places, with the peddler becoming the princess and the princess becoming the peddler. However, upon trying to return to their normal lives, they soon realize they are trapped, leaving the audience in suspense.

“I feel like people watching it will be a little stressed, because there are aspects of it that are really suspenseful, and you don’t know what’s going to happen, and you hope everything’s going to turn out okay,” junior Jadon Herrman said. “You just have to come and watch. Overall, I think it’s very fun and the time period is fun, because I don’t think we think about it a lot. It’s the Victorian Era. It’s very big fancy dresses, and big shoulders and corsets and carriages. It feels very nostalgic, even though obviously none of us has ever been in that time period. It’s pretty cool.”

Not only is the time period a bit out of the ordinary for the FHN Drama Club, but the sets for both plays are also unusual. To make a different set for each play, the crew has created rolling sets, using both the inside and outside of the set for different scenes. However, “The Princess and the Pauper” goes beyond the set, with actors interacting with the audience and going off stage during the play, giving the audience a more personal experience.

“I think students should come and watch because, honestly, I think it’s a really cute show,” junior Jordan Milewczik said. “It’s so fun to watch everything, and it really does give you an aspect of ‘you get what you wish for’ or ‘be careful what you wish for,’ because that’s kind of a tone between both shows. I think people can pull stuff out of it. It’s a show that’s for literally everybody. I think everybody could show up, understand, enjoy and love the show, from kids that are five-years-old, all the way up to 90-year-old people.”